ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Capturing carbon dioxide and pumping it deep underground could be an important part of mitigating the effects of climate change. However, ensuring the carbon dioxide stays trapped away from the atmosphere, where it serves as a heat-trapping greenhouse gas, is critical. Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories recently designed, built and lab-tested a […]
Tag Archives: climate change
Studying ship tracks to inform climate intervention decision-makers
February 20, 2023 – 7:10 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Scientists from Sandia National Laboratories are studying ship tracks — clouds that reflect sunlight and are formed by moving ships, similar to contrails from planes — to help inform decision-makers of the benefits and risks of one technology being considered to slow climate change. To understand how these ship tracks move and […]
New superalloy could cut carbon emissions from power plants
February 16, 2023 – 10:42 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — As the world looks for ways to cut greenhouse gas emissions, researchers from Sandia National Laboratories have shown that a new 3D-printed superalloy could help power plants generate more electricity while producing less carbon. Sandia scientists, collaborating with researchers at Ames National Laboratory, Iowa State University and Bruker Corp., used a 3D […]
Burping bacteria: Identifying Arctic microbes that produce greenhouse gases
October 17, 2022 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — As greenhouse gases bubble up across the rapidly thawing Arctic, Sandia National Laboratories researchers are trying to identify other trace gases from soil microbes that could shed some light on what is occurring biologically in melting permafrost in the Arctic. Sandia bioengineer Chuck Smallwood and his team recently spent five days collecting […]
Cycloalkanes a strong candidate for reducing aviation emissions
April 20, 2022 – 5:00 am
LIVERMORE, Calif. — Scientists at Sandia National Laboratories have released data that could play an important role in the future development of cleaner and more sustainable aviation fuel. In collaboration with researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the team explored the physical properties of cycloalkanes, or molecules composed of hydrogen and carbon atoms arranged in […]
Truman and Hruby 2022 fellows explore their positions
March 17, 2022 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Postdoctoral researchers who are designated Truman and Hruby fellows experience Sandia National Laboratories differently from their peers. Appointees to the prestigious fellowships are given the latitude to pursue their own ideas, rather than being trained by fitting into the research plans of more experienced researchers. To give wings to this process, the […]
Sandia uncovers hidden factors that affect solar farms during severe weather
August 31, 2021 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories researchers combined large sets of real-world solar data and advanced machine learning to study the impacts of severe weather on U.S. solar farms, and sort out what factors affect energy generation. Their results were published earlier this month in the scientific journal Applied Energy. Hurricanes, blizzards, hailstorms and wildfires […]
A song of ice and fiber
April 8, 2021 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Sandia National Laboratories researchers are beginning to analyze the first seafloor dataset from under Arctic sea ice using a novel method. They were able to capture ice quakes and transportation activities on the North Slope of Alaska while also monitoring for other climate signals and marine life. The team, led by Sandia […]
Finding fire and ice: Modeling the probability of methane hydrate deposits on the seafloor
March 17, 2021 – 5:00 am
RALEIGH, N.C. — Methane hydrate, an ice-like material made of compressed natural gas, burns when lit and can be found in some regions of the seafloor and in Arctic permafrost. Thought to be the world’s largest source of natural gas, methane hydrate is a potential fuel source, and if it “melts” and methane gas is […]
International research team begins uncovering Arctic mystery
February 8, 2021 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Something lurks beneath the Arctic Ocean. While it’s not a monster, it has largely remained a mystery. According to 25 international researchers who collaborated on a first-of-its-kind study, frozen land beneath rising sea levels currently traps 60 billion tons of methane and 560 billion tons of organic carbon. Little is known about […]
Exploring Arctic clues to secure future with new Sandia, university partnership
April 23, 2018 – 8:36 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The Arctic is undergoing rapid change, with sea ice melting and temperatures rising at a faster pace than anywhere else in the world. Its changing environment affects global security, politics, the economy and the climate. Understanding these changes is crucial for shaping and safeguarding U.S. security in the future, Sandia scientists say. […]
Effects of climate change on communally managed water systems softened by shared effort
April 16, 2018 – 5:00 am
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Shared fates and experiences in a community can help it withstand changes to water availability due to climate change, a recent study by Sandia National Laboratories researchers found. “During our research, a community’s ability to withstand natural and social pressures was routinely pinpointed to the fact that the people who live there […]
Cool flames for better engines
October 12, 2017 – 5:00 am
Sandia researchers use Direct Numerical Simulations to enhance combustion efficiency and reduce pollution in diesel engines LIVERMORE, Calif. — A “cool flame” may sound contradictory, but it’s an important element of diesel combustion — one that, once properly understood, could enable better engine designs with higher efficiency and fewer emissions. Sandia National Laboratories mechanical engineer […]
Understanding hazardous combustion byproducts reduces factors impacting climate change
August 25, 2016 – 5:00 am
Sandia researchers focus on soot, furans, oxygenated hydrocarbons LIVERMORE, Calif. – Researchers at Sandia National Laboratories’ Combustion Research Facility are developing the understanding necessary to build cleaner combustion technologies that will in turn reduce climate impact. Their work focuses on understanding the oxidation chemistry of organic carbon species critical to many processes including controlling emissions […]
Geophysicist Marianne Walck named vice president of Sandia’s California laboratory
March 12, 2015 – 5:00 am
New role includes leadership of Energy and Climate program LIVERMORE, Calif.—Sandia National Laboratories has appointed Marianne Walck vice president of Sandia’s California laboratory. She replaces Steve Rottler, who will become the deputy director and executive vice president for National Security Programs. Both changes are effective March 6. “I am pleased to welcome Marianne to Sandia’s […]